CGIAR's open access and international collaboration

On the 'biodiversity commons' mailing list: David Duthie (UNEP/DGEF) writes:

"A global biological commons in genetic resources was implemented in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) through a system of international nurseries with a breeding hub, free sharing of germplasm, collaboration in information collection, the development of human resources, and an international collaborative network. The success of an open-source system such as that implemented by CGIAR depends primarily on key people and leadership. Derek Byerlee and Jesse Dublin share these insights in Crop improvement in the CGIAR as a global success story of open access and international collaboration published in The International Journal of the Commons.

Open-source collaboration includes (i) free distribution and redistribution of the original materials, (ii) free redistribution of materials derived from the originals, (iii) full sharing of information, including pedigrees and grain yield, disease resistance and other information relating to the materials, (iv) nondiscrimination in participation in the networks, and (v) intellectual property rights on final materials that, if used, did not prevent their further use in research.

The history and impacts of the international wheat program are discussed to illustrate the open-source system. It also highlights the challenges of maintaining and evolving such a system over the long-term."

View the article

Web 2.0 and the Agricultural Information Manager

At the upcoming IAALD World Congress iun Montpellier, the Africa Chapter and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) will orgainze a sessions on 'Web 2.0 and the Agricultural Information Manager.'

Several initiatives are being implemented in Africa, that promote the use of Web 2.0 technologies for information exchange in Agriculture. Some of these initiatives are at national, sub-regional level and regional level. Capacity-building sessions are also being held specifically on Web 2.0 technologies around the region. However, is this another wave of technology that will pass? Should the Agricultural Information Specialist catch on to that wave? The Web 2.0 is becoming common jargon among the youth and the media – what should we make of it?

The Chapter and FARA will use this opportunity to explore and share experiences on the impact of Web 2.0 on networking in Agricultural Research for Development.

Uruguay: Promoverán la trazabilidad vacuna desde computadoras de Plan Ceibal

El Plan Ceibal, además de resolver la inequidad informática, permitirá a los productores rurales, a través de las laptops de sus hijos, poder cumplir con el requisito obligatorio del Ministerio de Ganadería Agricultura y Pesca (MGAP) de contar con un Sistema Nacional de Información Ganadería.

Leer el artículo completo.

CIAT dives into social media and blogging

In May 2009, CIAT Director General Ruben Echeverría set out some information accessibility directions for CIAT - on the the 15 CGIAR-supported research centers.

He argued that CIAT "can gain a lot from social media like blogs and video that can increase our ‘social footprint’ – beyond words and text!" ...

It looks like our CIAT colleagues have been busy being 'social' ...

CIAT blogs, in Englsh and Spanish, are used to report on projects and developments at CIAT.

CIAT's new Decision and Policy Analysis Program (DAPA) website runs on a wordpress blogging platform and links to series of sub-blogs.

A recent CIAT blog post reports that the CIAT Flickr photo-sharing site has reached 100,000 visits, in under a year.

The CIAT and DAPA blogs also link to videos on Blip TV as well as posters and presentations on Slideshare.

Note: CIAT will host a regional knowledge share fair in Colombia, late in May 2010.

Powering web-based knowledge sharing in agriculture

Simone Staiger-Rivas and colleagues just published an article entitled Learning to share knowledge for global agricultural progress in the International Journal of Web Based Communities.

The paper describes CGIAR and FAO web-based knowledge sharing and learning across the web (from 2008 - the timelag between action and dissemination is due to this being a peer-reviewed closed access journal).

Thye authors draw out 5 main lessons concerning 'web-based learning' on agricultural knowledge sharing:

• The power of the young to convert senior staff
• The power of face-to-face encounters in web-based learning
• The power of diversity
• The power of facilitation to cement ties
• The power of shared resources

The article is closed access but, as the CIARD manifesto calls for, Simone has made sure that the final author version of the paper is available to us all.

Not working or networking? Social media in the CGIAR

Enrica Porcari considers the recent Economist review of social media and the reasons why use of these media might be questioned.

She concludes:

"Perhaps the question is no longer: is social networking disruptive or subversive?

Instead it might be whether we can afford to ignore or discount the power of social networking…. what do you think?"

Read more ...

More posts on this topic

Reaching the last mile with ICTs

One of the greatest constraints that farmers face to improving their farming practices and productivity is availability of information and agri-inputs. Known as 'last mile delivery' (LMD), it means reaching farmers with appropriate and timely advice and enabling them to access the inputs they require. LMD is an ongoing challenge for private and public sector providers.

At a recent workshop hosted by the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) in New Delhi, India, representatives from farmers' organisations, international research institutes, and national as well as international private sector companies gathered to share and discuss their views on this challenge.

The New Agriculturist provides a summary of viewpoints on 'reaching the last mile'.

Simpósio de Geotecnologias no Pantanal

Estão entre os temas de interesse a avaliação e a aplicação de dados de sistemas sensores e geotecnologias em estudos do bioma Pantanal e sua bacia hidrográfica, como agropecuária, aplicações computacionais, cartografia e bancos de dados geográficos, educação ambiental, recursos hídricos, zoneamento e planejamento ambiental etc.

Mais informações

Brasil: Serviço de Respostas Técnicas quer ampliar acessos

Serviço Brasileiro de Respostas Técnicas (SBRT), em que especialistas respondem gratuitamente a perguntas de qualquer natureza enviadas por pessoas físicas ou jurídicas. A diversificação, ampliação do número de acessos e divulgação desse site de informação.

O último levantamento mostrou que 80% das perguntas dizem respeito ao agronegócio e à alimentação. Na reunião, técnicos de diversas áreas do Sebrae discutiram estratégias para que as dúvidas mais frequentes alimentem o banco de dados de forma contínua. Sofisticar o sistema de busca e aumentar o número de dossiês técnicos são algumas das propostas para divulgar e aprimorar este serviço.

O serviço pode ser acessado pelo endereço http://www.respostatecnica.org.br.

Explosion of mobile use in developing countries is helping transform health care

BBC Digital Planet article describes the use of mobiles to collect and share vital data on health and disease. Datadyne's EpiSurveyor software is used by health workers to gather information about vaccination rates and instances of HIV.

"We're using just standard cell phones - not smart phones necessarily, although we're working on an iPhone application," said Joel Selanikio, co-founder of DataDyne.

Joel Selanikio, co-founder of Datadyne says that while internet access via desktop or laptop computers is not readily available to all, many people, even in the developing world, have a mobile phone.

EpiSurveyor was built with a focus on international development, but Mr Selanikio says others are finding uses for the system - a trend which could make the project completely self-supporting. For example, he said, the Ministry of Agriculture in Canada use the tool to collect data on veterinary disease in rural farms.

Read the full article.

Microinsurance: Insuring crops with a mobile phone

An article in The Economist informs about a new microinsurance scheme promises to help "safe farming".

Farmers in Kenya pay an extra 5% to insure a bag of seed, fertiliser or other things like herbicide against crop failure. Agribusinesses hoping to benefit from higher sales of their products, match the farmers’ investment to meet the full 10% cost of the insurance premium.

Agents register a policy using a camera-phone and a text message confirming the policy is then sent to the farmer’s handset. If weather conditions deteriorate, a panel of experts determine if crops will no longer be viable and payouts are made directly to the handsets of farmers in the affected areas using a mobile-money service.

Read the full article.

Manejo Operacional e Protótipo de Geodecisão para Rastrear a Produção Agropecuária

A Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária – Embrapa, vinculada ao Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento, presenta do projeto internacional Manejo Operacional e Protótipo de Geodecisão para Rastrear a Produção Agropecuária (OTAG).

Embrapa levará o rastreamento de bovinos usando colares com GPS. Os equipamentos foram desenvolvidos pelo projeto OTAG e permitirão o rastreamento e a alimentação de um software para a vigilância sanitária. “Este trabalho é de aplicação fácil na bovinocultura e há interesse em fazer a divulgação para todos os países que praticam essa cultura. Desta forma, a Embrapa, por meio de seus projetos, procura resolver problemas e/ou melhorar o rendimento das atividades agropecuárias”, afirma o pesquisador médico-veterinário da Embrapa.

ler o artigo na íntegra

Perú: El Estado invertirá en zonas rurales para reducir la brecha digital

Un artículo reciente señala que el Estado invertirá unos 260 millones de dólares hasta el 2014, a través del Fondo de Inversión en Telecomunicaciones (Fitel), con el objetivo de llevar servicios de telecomunicación a diversas zonas rurales del país, informó el Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones (MTC).

Estamos diseñando nuevas medidas de promoción y venimos impulsando la ejecución de proyectos de telecomunicaciones rurales a través del Fitel. Queremos masificar el acceso de Banda Ancha como instrumento de desarrollo económico e inclusión social, señaló el viceministro de Comunicaciones, Jorge Cuba.

La reducción de la brecha digital tiene que ser progresiva pero sostenida, y a través del Fitel se ha previsto una inversión en áreas rurales de 260 millones de dólares para el quinquenio 2010 - 2014, agregó.PUEBLOS CON TECNOLOGÍA.

Sostuvo que actualmente Perú está transitando de un primer modelo: un pueblo, un teléfono a un nuevo modelo de un pueblo con Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicaciones (TIC), enfatizándose la creación de capacidades para la sostenibilidad de los proyectos.

Mexico: Reducir la Brecha Digital en el Medio Rural

Es fundamental reducir la “brecha digital” entre las naciones de América Latina y el Caribe, y fomentar el uso de las tecnologías de la información y comunicación a fin de que esta región se integre adecuadamente en el mundo global, sostuvo la secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, Patricia Espinosa Cantellano. La funcionaria agregó que para ello es necesario que estos países cuenten con marcos jurídicos que den certidumbre a la inversión en estos sectores.

En la quinta reunión ordinaria de la Asamblea de la Comisión Interamericana de Telecomunicaciones (Citel), la secretaria sostuvo que también es imprescindible propiciar más accesos a las telecomunicaciones para los hogares y comunidades, en particular en áreas rurales.

Leer la noticia completa

The Mobile Opportunity in Rural Areas

Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General and Director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, says: “Mobile communication is perhaps the single most transformative technology for rural African villages to improve access to health care and education, create new business opportunities and access to markets, and ultimately to help eradicate extreme poverty.

Read more ...

ICTs: Serving the needs of farmers

To build a stable business, farmers regularly need information on a wide range of subjects. They need long and short-term weather reports to choose the best time to plant and harvest. They need current information on the spread of pests and diseases that might threaten their crops. They need to get the latest tips and advice to make the most of their available land. And they need market data to find the right buyers at exactly the right time. But farmers don’t want all the information; they only want what’s relevant to their specific needs. And to help them, a few services are now providing agricultural information tailored to fit the particular working conditions of individual farmers.

Read more ...

Also:

• Customized information: Nokia Life Tools delivers customized agricultural information

• From the web to the phone: Information system sends RSS feeds to Chilean farmers via SMS

• The view from above: VHRI gives West African farmers data on soil fertility and land size

• Direct data on demand: Mobile apps deliver a broad range of information to Ugandan farmers

Socio-Economic Impact of Mobile Phones on Indian Agriculture

This working paper from the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations investigates a series of questions: What kind of information do farmers value the most to improve agricultural productivity? Do mobile phones and mobile-enabled agricultural services have an impact on agriculture? What are the factors that impede the realisation of the full productivity enhancing potential of mobile phones?

The study found evidence that mobiles are being used in ways which contribute to
productivity enhancement. However, to leverage the full potential of information
dissemination enabled by mobile telephony will require significant improvements in
supporting infrastructure and capacity building amongst farmers to enable them to use
the information they access effectively.

TIC : Répondre aux besoins du paysan

Pour avoir un business stable, le paysan a besoin d’informations sur toutes sortes de sujets : des prévisions météo à court et à long terme afin de choisir le meilleur moment pour les semis et la moisson ; des rapports sur la propagation des maladies et des nuisibles susceptibles de s’attaquer à leurs cultures ; les derniers conseils et astuces pour optimiser son exploitation ; des infos commerciales pour trouver les bons acheteurs au bon moment. Il ne veut pas être abreuvé d’infos, mais seulement connaître ce qui peut lui être utile. Pour répondre à cette demande, plusieurs fournisseurs d’information proposent des services « sur mesure ».

Lire plus ...

Aussi:

• Informations personnalisées : Nokia Life Tools, l’information agricole sur mesure

• Du web au téléphone : Un système d’info crée et envoie des RSS aux paysans chiliens par SMS

• Vu du ciel : Les images satellite en très haute résolution du projet Seeing is Believing révèlent aux paysans d’Afrique de l’Ouest la fertilité du sol et la surface exacte de leurs parcelles

• Informations à la demande : Les paysans ougandais largement informés grâce aux applications mobiles

More communication tips from IFPRI

Three recent articles on the IFPRI 'web tastings' blog report on wen communications work at IFPRI.

• Has Google replaced your web site?/a> - on institutional web sites as connecting platorms, with Google and others driving the visitors

• Ten actions to take from our latest web marketing campaign - how social media builds awareness of information products

• Matching web activities to a communications strategy - how the web contributes to overall communictaion goals: Impact; content; stakeholders; and routes.

More from IFPRI

Forum de l'accès à l'information : Lundi 26 avril 2010, Montpellier, France

Les résultats de recherche de votre institution sont-ils réellement connus des personnes à qui ils seraient utiles ? Vous vous demandez comment rendre vos recherches plus accessibles sur le Web ? Vous souhaitez créer une base de données ou partager de l’information via des portails internationaux ? Vous aimeriez améliorer et diversifier vos outils de communication ?

Si vous êtes impliqué dans la collecte, la gestion ou la communication des résultats de recherche sous forme numérique, venez découvrir le « Forum de l’accès à l’information ». Cette manifestation collégiale regroupera différentes organisations, grandes ou petites. Le forum sera l’occasion d’échanger avec des professionnels de l'information numérique.

Que vous représentiez une organisation ou que vous soyez indépendant, nous vous invitons à nous rejoindre au Forum de l’accès à l’information.

En association avec le XIIIe congrès mondial de l’IAALD, Organisé par Agropolis International, 26-29 avril 2010